The Phase One IQ3 – What You Need to Know

Along with the new XF Camera System announced today, Phase One has also released a new range of digital backs. The IQ3 is the next generation for Medium Format that work seamlessly with the XF. Continue reading to see all the new goodies!

Brand new 80mp Sensor with Long Exposure

The IQ380 features a brand new sensor exclusive to Phase One. It is the first and only 80mp sensor to provide long exposures – up to one hour long. The dark frame technology Phase One uses has also been significantly improved with the IQ380, making for even cleaner long exposures than with the IQ260. Contact us for raw file samples to judge for yourself.

For clarity, the IQ360 and IQ350 use the same great sensors used in the IQ260 and IQ250.

Faster Tethering

Recently we spent a few hours with a “competitive” brand of medium format digital cameras; it was a stark reminder of just how far ahead of its competition Phase One is when it comes to tethering. Even when shooting dozens of 80mp frames in a row, the most recent capture is shown in Capture One almost immediately after capture.

Regardless, Phase One is not resting on its laurels. With Capture One 8.3 and the IQ3 (and IQ2 after firmware update) Phase One tweaked every part of the capture pipeline to increase the speed of tethering even further. Phase One is claiming up to 30% faster shot-to-preview times. Digital Transitions will be performing our own in-house tests to evaluate the real world improvements. Stay tuned for those results.

Camera Controls via Back or Software

Previous Phase One digital backs offered access to some of the settings of the body via the digital back menu. The IQ3 (and IQ2 after firmware update) provides much more. A single tap on the digital back brings you to a replica of the body’s top-facing LCD. Here you can use the touch interface to make any change you can make on the body itself, including all settings, putting the mirror up and taking a capture. This will be especially useful for photographers who need reading glasses to read the text on the smaller top-facing LCD, since the rear LCD is significantly larger. It’s also a welcome tool when shooting with the camera mounted high on a tripod or camera stand.

Capture One 8.3 provides this same level of control, completing eliminating the need to go the camera position to change settings, exposure, put up the mirror or initiate a capture.

Both locations even show a live exposure meter reading. Having this directly alongside the histogram and heat map of the current image makes for very intuitive adjustment of exposure.

Shooting from Live View

When using live view on the IQ3 (and IQ2 after firmware update) you can now capture from live view. It’s as simple as clicking the shutter (or cable release). The captured image will be previewed for a few seconds (or not, you can change this in the settings), and then live view will resume.

The same thing is true in Capture One 8.3. Simply push the capture button, use the command-K keyboard shortcut, or step on one of Digital Transitions’ foot pedal triggers, and Capture One will do the rest. The shutter will close, fire, and reopen; live view will pause during this process and automatically resume after the capture.

In either case the leaf shutter is the only thing that fires. The mirror and focal plane shutter do not move, so vibration is nearly zero.

The Heat Map Exposure Evaluation Tool

Histograms are great but they are very limiting. They show the range of tones inside the frame, but not where those tones are. You can’t use a histogram to place a particular subject in a particular exposure zone, and histograms are terribly useful in low key or high-key situations.

The new Heat Map provides an overlay that shows exactly how bright or dark each area of the frame is. It provides amazingly powerful exposure evaluation while still being fast to reference and easy to understand.

Clipping Warning

The highlight warning tool has been improved in the IQ3 (and IQ2 after firmware update). It can now show a clipping warning that is based off the raw data (rather than preview) and shows only hard-clipped values, which are those beyond the safe reach of the highlight-recovery tool in Capture One.

Sensor Temperature Graph

All Phase One digital backs capture a dark frame after any successful capture. Ideally this dark frame should be captured in the same temperature as the main exposure.

This is also useful for monitoring how warm a sensor is getting while shooting many long-exposures in a row. In a back-to-back sequence of ten 3-minute exposures the last exposure will have the noise characteristics of a 30 minute exposure, as the sensor will have been on (nearly nonstop) for 30 minutes by the time it is complete. It doesn’t take long after a capture for the heat to dissipate because the entire Phase One IQ chassis is one large heat sink designed to keep the sensor cool. You’ll sometimes notice the case gets warm to the touch, an un-intuitively good sign, as it means the heat sink is moving the heat away from the sensor, where it causes noise, to the outside where it can quickly dissipate. The sensor temperature graph gives you an easy way to track this heat and dissipation.

If you don’t shoot long exposures (e.g. more than 10”) then you should really disregard the temperature graph; the impact sensor heat has on image quality is only significant during long exposures.

IQ260 / IQ250 for Hasselblad H & Hasselblad V

Power Sharing with an XF body is the only feature of an IQ3 that won’t be provided to current IQ2 owners. Power sharing is provided by the modern architecture of the XF; it cannot be done when using an Hasselblad H or Hasselblad V. With this in mind, it didn’t make sense to make a back labeled IQ3 for the Hasselblad H and Hasselblad V. Since the IQ380 also has a new sensor (allowing 80mp long exposure), it is available in H and V mounts.

Phase One continues to support these other bodies and future backs which have features that aren’t specific to the XF will continue to be released on all platforms.

In addition, the IQ260 Achromatic will continue to be available only in an IQ2 flavor. This monochromatic back is one of our favorite products, offering unparalleled sharpness, true B+W capture, and is the best infrared digital back we’ve ever worked with. But, it’s a niche rather than high-volume product and will not updated to an IQ3.

We know it’s a bit confusing at first; if you need any help understanding what models are available in what mounts, or what models allow what features, just give us a call and we’ll be glad to step you through it.

Wait, Where’s Contax?

Digital Transitions LOVES the Contax body. It had great German glass, an optional waist level viewfinder which provides metering, simple intuitive operation, super durable mechanics, minimalist design, and uses a compact, inexpensive battery. The newly released Phase One XF body ticks off literally every one of those boxes while adding things the Contax never had, like a sync speed of 1/1600th.

Still, there is something special about the Contax system; if nothing else, the nostalgia factor can’t be beat. Unfortunately it has been years since this body was made new, and supplies of used bodies and parts/service/repair are waning. As of today Phase One will no longer make Contax mount digital backs. Here at Digital Transitions we’re so sad about this that we’re throwing a wake for the end of the era of Digital Contax. Shoot us a tweet if you’d like your words of remembrance to be read there.

Phase One will continue to provide service and support for the Contax backs it has sold for many years to come. As an indication of how seriously Phase One takes support of discontinued products look no further than the Phase One FX+ scan back, which was only end-of-life’d last year, more than15 years after it’s initial release.

Digital Transitions still has a few more NEW Contax digital backs, the last that will ever be made. We expect to sell through this supply within two months (maybe faster when word gets out) so contact us today if you’re interested in purchasing or demoing a Contax digital back.

Event Details

In our industry today there are both traditional "Assistants" and a new type of person on the set which we call the Digital Technician, Operator or simply the Digital Tech.

Event Details

In our industry today there are both traditional “Assistants” and a new type of person on the set which we call the Digital Technician, Operator or simply the Digital Tech. Quality and specialized knowledge among assistants can vary quite dramatically.

Digital Techs that have completed the Phase One Certified Professional Program will have received specialized training in Phase One hardware and software and will be listed in Phase One’s Certified Professional online database. Photographers are more likely to choose certified digital technicians to ensure that the tech they hire has the knowledge and experience to get the most out of the Phase One equipment and software on set.

Training Overview

Training takes place over a two-day period encompassing everything from efficient on-set workflow to troubleshooting to advanced software techniques. At the end of the two days, it culminates with a certification exam. Those who pass the exam are given the title of Phase One Certified Professional and listed in the official Phase One database.

Training seminars will include a mixture of lecture and hands-on practice. You will have the opportunity to use the Phase One XF Camera System, a multitude of Schneider lenses and several different digital backs. The following topics will be covered during Training:

Phase One Digital Backs, Bodies & Lenses

Technology inside the Digital Backs

Phase One 645DF+ Body

Phase One XF Camera System

Recommended Usage & Capabilities

Troubleshooting

Third-Party Cameras

Usage with Phase One Backs

Canon/Nikon Tethering

Computers

Recommended Setup

Backup Procedures

Troubleshooting & Maintenance

Capture One Pro 10

Advanced Tools

Efficient Workflow

Troubleshooting

Program Fee Includes the Following:

Receive a full license of Capture One Pro and a special Troubleshooting Guide after completing all of the qualification testing requirements.*

Get listed on Digital Transitions’ and Phase One’s website as a “Phase One Certified” Digital Tech.

Get shooting time with the new Phase One XF Camera System & Phase One IQ3 Series digital backs.

Access to Phase One pre-requisite online courses.*

*Each course is a mixture of articles and videos and includes 1-2 short quizzes. You can take the quizzes as many times as necessary but you must get an 80% to move forward. We expect that the entire online course should not take more than 5 hours total.

More Information

We recommend that you bring a laptop to the training, but it is not required.

Please be sure that you are available to attend both days of training and will be able to complete your Qualification Tests prior to signing up for the course. Our policy is that we do not offer rescheduling options as it is difficult to fill open seats so close to the training, as attendees require time to take their qualification tests.

Please note that there are no refunds, as once you have signed up and paid, we provide you with the latest version of Capture One Pro ($299 value) and your Phase One Qualification Testing License ($150 value). Digital Transitions is responsible for these costs once you have activated them.